Boy Floats Away in Balloon Aircraft
FORT COLLINS, Colo. -
A 6-year-old boy climbed into a homemade balloon aircraft and floated away Thursday, forcing officials to scramble to figure out how to rescue the boy.
Live footage from a local TV helicopter showed the balloon gliding quickly through the air.
Larimer County sheriff’s spokeswoman Eloise Campanella says the device, which is shaped like a flying saucer, has the potential to rise to 10,000 feet. Sheriff’s officials last saw the device floating south of Milliken, which is about 40 miles north of Denver.
Campanella says the 6-year-old climbed into the access door and was in the airborne device.
FAA spokesman Mike Fergus says the agency has been notified and it was unclear whether traffic controllers had picked it up on radar.
The bizarre scene played out live on television and prompted fears that the flying saucer-shaped balloon would crash with the young child inside. The balloon rotated slowly in the wind, tipping precariously at times. Cathy Davis of the Larimer County Sheriff's Department told CNN the balloon was owned by the boy's parents. "We'll just have to respond the best we can," Davis said. "This is a first and we'll do what we need to do." The Colorado Army National Guard was preparing to launch an OH-58 Kiowa helicopter to help in the response effort, said Capt. Michael Odgers. It wasn't immediately clear what role the helicopter would play.
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